Delaware Bills

failed · Delaware · House Jun 17, 2025

HB 199: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 18 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO DISTRIBUTIONS TO FIRE COMPANIES AND DEPARTMENTS.

This Act allows fire companies or departments to merge or consolidate without reduction of the fire company or department’s share of tax on insurance premiums for covering risks of loss on any real or personal property.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

in committee · Delaware · House Jun 12, 2025

HB 302: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO LANGUAGE ACCESS TO GOVERNMENT WEBSITES.

This Act requires that all State government websites are accessible in any language spoken by at least .5% of the overall population of Delaware. A link to the translated website must be prominently placed on each English version of the website. State websites may use machine translation services to translate websites so long as the website provides a disclaimer as to the accuracy of the text.

in committee · Delaware · House Jun 10, 2025

HB 137: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO MERIT EMPLOYEE RELATIONS BOARD AND THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE MERIT SYSTEM.

This Act clarifies that the Merit Employee Relations Board does not have jurisdiction to interpret or apply the Fair Labor Standards Act. Instead, disputes concerning the Secretary of the Department of Human Resources’ interpretation of this federal law as applied to state personnel must be determined as outlined in Title 29 of the United States Code. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

in committee · Delaware · House Jun 10, 2025

HB 196: AN ACT AMENDING TITLE 21 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO TRAFFIC STOPS.

This Act requires officers to enter the primary reason for a traffic stop into DELJIS at the time of the stop. The Statistical Analysis Center will have access to the data for the purpose of analyzing traffic stop practices.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

in committee · Delaware · House Jun 5, 2025

HB 184: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE REDISTRICTING OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

The constitutional requirement to create new legislative districts following the U.S. Census was intended to ensure equal representation at all levels of government. However, Delaware’s current process of redistricting is deeply flawed. It allows the majority party in each legislative chamber to gerrymander state legislative maps in a self-serving attempt to preserve and expand partisan political power. All other considerations have become secondary in this process. This defect is common to many states and some have tried to address the issue by creating election commissions charged with redrawing legislative lines. The challenge in such a system is ensuring that these commissions can conduct their function in a balanced, objective, and non-partisan fashion. This bill proposes a new method that avoids this significant hurdle by leveraging partisan self-interest to create a protocol that results in an equitable outcome. This fresh approach to reapportionment is described in a paper by 3 Carnegie Mellon University professors entitled: “A Partisan Districting Protocol with Provably Nonpartisan Outcomes.” It utilizes a system analogous to a proven, prudent method for instructing 2 children to fairly divide a piece of cake between themselves. The first child cuts the cake, while the second has the option of selecting which piece he or she wishes to consume. In the protocol outlined in this bill, the two competing parties are the partisan caucuses of each General Assembly chamber. The first caucus will initially draw all the legislative districts, observing established legal redistricting standards. The second caucus will have the ability to “freeze” a set number of the districts, locking their boundaries into place. They will then be able to redraw the remaining districts as they wish, delivering the new maps back to the first caucus. This group will then also engage in the freeze and redraw process, with the cycles continuing until all the districts have been defined. With both sides getting equal “bites of the apple,” each has a practical ability to affect the outcome and a reason to work together to achieve a mutually acceptable conclusion. The bill also includes safeguards to ensure public notification and participation in the process, as well as a contingency to allow the judicial branch to draw the new legislative maps should the General Assembly be unable to achieve the task. This legislation assumes calling the General Assembly into special session to approve the finalized maps, providing enough time for the process to be conducted in a deliberative manner.

in committee · Delaware · Senate Jun 5, 2025

SB 172: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE OFFICE OF DEFENSE SERVICES.

This Act codifies the longstanding custom and practice in Delaware of compensating Deputy Attorneys General and Assistant Public Defenders comparably. This Act is also consistent with the American Bar Association’s Ten Principles of a Public Defense Delivery System which states: “The compensation for lawyers working for Public Defense Providers should be appropriate for and comparable to other publicly funded lawyers. Full-time public defender salaries and benefits should be no less than the salaries and benefits for full-time prosecutors.” Finally, this Act codifies the continuing belief in Delaware that comparable compensation is necessary to achieve equal justice under law.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

signed · Delaware · Senate May 27, 2025

SB 157: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 10 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO PROVIDING FOR AN ADDITIONAL FAMILY COURT JUDGE IN SUSSEX COUNTY.

This Act increases the total number of Family Court judges from 17 to 18 to provide for 1 additional judge in Sussex County, which was funded in the fiscal year 2025 budget signed by the Governor on June 30, 2024.

in committee · Delaware · House May 22, 2025

HB 126: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 30 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO PERSONAL INCOME TAX.

This Act exempts from State income tax any income received by a full-time hourly wage-paid employee for overtime work performed in excess of 40 hours in a week. This exemption applies for taxable years beginning on January 1, 2026, and ending before January 1, 2028. This Act also requires each employer to provide information to the Division of Revenue about the total amount of overtime provided to full-time hourly wage-paid employees and the number of employees to whom overtime was paid in taxable years beginning January 1, 2025.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Labor & Employment

in committee · Delaware · House May 22, 2025

HB 106: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 24 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE SCOPE OF PRACTICE OF LICENSED OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY PRACTITIONERS.

This Act expands the “practice of occupational therapy” to include dry needling, and sets forth requirements and limitations for licensed occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants pertaining to the practice of dry needling. Dry needling may not be performed without a physician referral, and occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants may not hold themselves out as acupuncturists unless they are licensed acupuncturists.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

signed · Delaware · Senate May 22, 2025

SJR 2: REQUIRING THE DIVISION OF MEDICAID AND MEDICAL ASSISTANCE TO PRESENT THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY WITH A REPORT AND PLAN TO PROVIDE INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKER SERVICES.

This resolution requires the Division of Medicaid and Medical Assistance to present a report to the Delaware General Assembly, by January 1, 2026, for the provision of insurance coverage for Community Health Worker services by Medicaid providers, which must include a draft State plan amendment or waiver, as appropriate, to the Governor and all members of the General Assembly, with copies to the Director and the Librarian of the Division of Research of Legislative Council, and the Delaware Public Archives.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

in committee · Delaware · House May 22, 2025

HB 99: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 30 OF THE DELAWARE CODE AND CHAPTER 118 OF VOLUME 83 OF THE LAWS OF DELAWARE RELATING TO PERSONAL INCOME TAXES.

This Act increases the refundable earned income tax credit to 20% of the corresponding federal earned income tax credit for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2025, and clarifies that a previously enacted refundable earned income tax credit of 4 1/2% of the corresponding federal earned income tax credit took effect for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2021.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

signed · Delaware · House May 22, 2025

HB 9: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO GOVERNMENTAL COMPENSATION POLICY.

Section 4 of this Act requires a paid elected official or paid appointed official of this State or any political subdivision of this State (“official”) who is also employed by a state agency or a political subdivision of this State to disclose the dual employment to the Public Integrity Commission (“Commission”). This disclosure will assist the Commission and the State Auditor in evaluating if the official is receiving dual public compensation for coincident hours of work and requires the Commission to report to the official’s employer of any finding of dual compensation. Sections 1 through 3 of this Act make technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual, including by creating definitions to ensure consistent usage of terms and by redrafting existing law to use active voice to ensure clarity of duties and obligations of officials and state agencies or political subdivisions of this State that employ officials. Section 5 of this Act makes clear that an individual serving as an official on the effective date of this Act must disclose any dual employment within 15 days after the enactment of this Act. Section 6 of this Act provides that this Act takes effect 1 year after the Act’s enactment into law.

Bill results